Saturday, December 17, 2016

Day 17 - The Garden of Gethsemane

God is always near when we pray. He promised He will always be there to protect us and help us do the right thing when we ask. Can you see the heart in the painting? It reminds us how much God loves us.

Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch.” He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. And He said, “Abba Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.” — Mark 14:32-36 (NKJV)

Jesus knew He was going to have to die in a terrible way. He knew it was going to be very, very hard and He didn’t want to have to do it. He knew He would feel the awful pain because He was a Man. But He was the Son of God, too, and He was going to have to do something even more horrible. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin.” He would have to become sin! He would be taking all the punishment for all the sins of every man, woman and child who ever lived. And worst of all, for the first time in all eternity, God the Father would have to leave Him all alone because He can’t be a part of sin. He went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray, and the Bible says He prayed so hard He actually sweat great drops of blood. Can you imagine ever praying that hard? Can you imagine how Jesus must have felt knowing His Father wouldn’t be there to help Him when He would go from being perfect to being all the most horrible sins man could ever think of? Jesus could have chosen not to do it, but after He asked His Father three times to find another way, He chose to obey. Have you ever asked God to help you do something really hard? Have you ever felt like He wasn’t answering?

Today's Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank You for loving me so much that You would die for all my sins and mistakes. Thank You that You didn’t give up when it was so hard. Please help me choose what You want when things are hard instead of my own way. Please help me always remember how much You love me, and be thankful.

Today's Activity:

Tell the children about a hard thing God helped you through when you prayed. Ask them to draw a picture of the hardest thing they’ve asked God to help them with. Then ask them to draw a picture of His answer. Be prepared to discuss why we should praise Him in everything.

Seek & Find Answer to the question in the painting above:The Heart of God is always around us when we pray. Do you see His heart surrounding Jesus? Did you notice the serpent lurking in the Garden?